Oninaki presents an interesting story with a dark and difficult subject. However, it fails to deliver the basic aspects of a modern action-JRPG.

A stunningly beautiful, but somewhat technically challenged journey into Ancient India.

Thymesia may be short, with repetitive levels and it’s not really great in terms of level design, but it more than makes up for it by including a combat system that follow in the best possible way the excellent one from Sekiro. That is no small feat, especially for such an only 7-member team.

Bleach: Rebirth of Souls is, first and foremost, a love letter to fans of the anime. While it may not stand shoulder to shoulder with the top titles in the genre, its satisfying combat, well-crafted Story Mode, and diverse roster of characters are sure to please longtime Bleach enthusiasts.

Big Ant Studios did a decent job in bringing back the sport of Tennis in videogames. It may not be as polished and rich as legends of the past like Virtua Tennis and Top Spin, but it can guarantee lots of fun for you and your friends.

Unfortunately, Shenmue 3 is a disappointing new chapter even if we take into account the much lower budget in its development compared to its predecessors. It’s not a good sign that almost 20 years after Shenmue 2 the new entry is inferior in several of its aspects. The worst of all its flaws is the especially lacking development of Ryo’s saga, adding extremely scarce information to his revenge story.

When the short-sized, colorful creatures travel from a home console to a portable one, unexpected things can happen! It is a game that vastly differentiates from its predecessors, but still manages to keep the essence of the franchise intact! An overall fun addition on the go.

Unfortunately Oblitus only has somewhat good controls to offer. Other than that its utterly small length and the lack of the “procedurally- generated realm” that its description promises do little to justify its steep price tag.

It's a decent poker game with characters from beloved franchises. There's really nothing more you need to know.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a game for people who really love the Olympic Games and want to buy memorabilia of the event as someone would buy a pin of the town the Games are taking place in or a t-shirt with the mascot. But as video game, it really looks like the typical, almost bland, product coming out of a production line every four years.

Despite its shortcomings, I Am Alive manages to offer a true survival experience, with intense platforming, clever combat mechanics and an impressive enemy AI. This is definitely the "biggest" small game you'll get to play in 2012.

The breath of fresh air we got from Omega Force in Hyrule Warriors and Dragon Quest Heroes is not present here, which means that Arslan is suitable mostly for fans of the anime.

All and all, Alice Madness Returns is an exquisite alternative point of view of a classical story, given as a twisted gaming extravaganza. The constant platforming can be tiring, but the rich content repays the gamer.

Popcap’s first attempt to transform Plants vs Zombies franchise into a shooter is quite mediocre, as it lacks many basic and fundamental aspects someone would seek in a multiplayer only shooter.

Unfortunately Ereban: Shadow Legacy is quite weak in its stealth mechanics, arguably the most important aspect of a stealth game. The protagonist feels overpowered from beginning to end, requiring little to no tactical approach to stealthily dispatch enemies. Although there are some interesting platforming ideas, the game fails to expand on them, leading to an underwhelming overall experience.

The problem with State of Decay 2 is that it fails to go steps beyond what the first game achieved. It is a given that fans of State of Decay will surely have a good time, especially when playing with friends (and when some of the technical issues will be addressed), but overall Undead Labs’ new game fails to impress.

Akane is a great package of enjoyable gameplay and solid mechanics -especially as a small studio’s first try- but the lack of content in all of its aspects won’t take long to end up as a repetitive experience.

The original Syberia is, without question, a classic of the genre. This remastered edition, however, is oddly lacking in quality-of-life improvements. The audio suffers from mixing issues, and the visuals are inconsistent, with particularly underwhelming cinematics. While the reworked in-game graphics do help modernize the experience, they’re not enough to elevate this release into a truly definitive edition.

While it doesnʼt offer a unique experience, Heroes of Ruin is definitely a game that will keep you going for hours.

Yet another re-release of a Resident Evil game. But Resident Evil 5 was then -and still is- a decent, well designed game that lacks the “horror” element but has lots of soul and substance.

You can't actually say that the first part of the "Chronicles" trilogy is a "bad" game, but at this point the story of the Assassin's series seems like a mess and Assassin's Creed Chronicles China is not offering anything we haven't seen (and in a better way) in Mark of the Ninja.

With a great crafting system, some intense boss battles and the unique concept of a "First Person Caster", Lichdom is one of the most pleasant surprises we've had in a long time.

The Croc remaster is nothing short of an ode to the golden era of 3D platformers. With its focus on nostalgia and revamped visuals, it’s sure to evoke warm memories for longtime fans. That said, a bit of patience is required to navigate some of the old-school quirks in its platforming design.

It's Cityville with the Simpsons, simple as that. Fans of the TV series should definitely try this out.

While the dystopic futuristic art design of Berlin is engaging and the deep and well written story of State of Mind has a lot of things to say to the player, in the end what we get is a “walking simulator” that takes us by the hand, leaving us with little to nothing to actually do.

Virtua Tennis 4 seems more of an upgrade of lasts year's game, but with motion controls added. That doesn't mean that SEGA's new game is bad, only that it has little new to offer.

Dakar Desert Rally strives for something more but that is not enough. The lack of routes with interesting design and variety make it a boring racer, while this indecision about whether it wants to be serious or not, is an issue that in the future Saber Interactive should see through a different perspective.

Even though its gameplay design looks somehow dated, Xenoverse is a tribute that the "ultra fan" of Dragon Ball will surely appreciate.

Deliver At All Costs thrives on chaotic gameplay, offering a wide range of diverse missions that consistently surprise. The action is a blast, though the frequent story cutscenes could be trimmed back. The dialogue is blunt and not as funny as it thinks it is, ultimately disrupting the game's rhythm.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is, without a doubt, an effort to bring new life to the game that started the random dungeon exploration craze. Returning players are sure to remember why the Mystery Dungeon series got to survive and evolve during these 15 years, but might feel estranged to the newer additions that mess up with the original recipe.

Unfortunately Eiyuu Senki: The World Conquest fails to deliver the Visual Novel RPG/Strategy concept the way we anticipated. Ultimately it adheres mostly to the "harem" genre rather than the story-driven visual novel style which we are used to.

Another overpriced DLC for Black Ops II. The maps are well crafted (the "Wild West" themed "Buried" is a definite highlight here), but cannot justify the price tag.

It's not the best Spider-man game. Ιt's not even Bennox's best effort. But Spidey can guarantee 5 to 6 hours of enjoyable web-swinging.

With great technology behind the transitions from the "main movie" to the moments when the viewer must become a player-director and some great performances from the cast, Erica is a true next step to the interactive storytelling of videogames.

A passion project for its developers, this game has been originally dismissed by the players, but has managed to revive from its ashes due to constructive feedback from the community. Despite its drawbacks, regarding technical restrictions and the underperforming A.I, Daemon X Machina is a game suited to genre lovers and those who enjoy co-op action, and has all the requirements to develop even more.

It is a game that has an interesting premise and some bold ideas, with quite a few of them really working, but in the end it gets a bit boring and quite repetitive.

Rune Factory 5 is, without a doubt, a game that succeeds in destroying the positive vibes and the status the previous games in the series have managed to establish. It is a title that is only good at importing the gameplay mechanisms from its predecessors, yet delivers them in a way that feels rushed, mediocre and deserving of a mobile rather than a console release.

We really wanted to enjoy Steel Rats (and there were moments when it showed its true potential), but ultimately it’s marred by derivative combat and the occasional erratic behaviour of the bike, especially in jumping sequences, leading to some unfair deaths.

It's beautiful, it has an interesting story and the turn-based battles can become epic, but it's too damn difficult and unforgiving even to hardcore gamers.

NBA2K24 is more than ever a prime example of a game that is made with the mentality to fulfill the wildest microtransactions dreams of the executives and stakeholders of the publisher. Between the constant pressure to throw more money in its virtual store you can find a hidden and excellent basketball game.

The decline of NBA 2K games continues. It is still a good basketball game overall, but some changes, like the new shot system along with severe A.I. problems cause some serious problems to the experience.

Football Manager 26 introduces a bold UI overhaul that aims to fully modernise the experience, but the move comes with significant caveats. The new interface often overcomplicates basic actions, and in its current state the game suffers from numerous frustrating bugs and crashes. The improved match engine and the well-developed TransferRoom help offset some of these issues, but overall Sports Interactive still has plenty of work to do to convince us that this redesign was truly necessary.

Midnight Murder Club introduces fresh multiplayer ideas with clever use of shadows and light. Be that as it may, while it is intriguing at first, its lack of variety in gameplay and content causes it to lose steam quickly.

A short but intense and well done run & gun arcade experience inspired by Contra, Shinobi and Castlevania.

The impressive selection of different mechas and a solid gameplay base are just not enough to make this game stand out when you consider its severe lack of solo material, the loss of the splitscreen mode and the low budget simplicity of its design and its localization, or lack thereof.

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is exactly what you expected it to be regarding it’s name and legacy. The problem is that it doesn’t try to be anything more than just a family friendly game. And besides that, it lasts just for a few hours and costs a lot for what it provides.

The OSome studio managed to create a very competent survival horror game that builds its atmosphere through story elements instead of constant battling of zombies. Fans of the genre should give White Night a try.

Not just a great way to boost your Galaxy Readiness, but one of the best games the iOS platform has to offer.

Drawing obvious inspiration from the works of John Woo and Hotline Miami, The Hong Kong Massacre is a top down shooter that tends to get repetitive, but offers intense action and great challenge.

Rarely have we witnessed such a betrayal of a perfectly good game by the very company that owns it. Drawing the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Battlefront 2’s progression system and Loot-fest extravaganza are downright hostile to the people who just want to enjoy the game. EA seems to have taken on the corrupted mantle of the Emperor and, despite the truly awe-inspiring Star Wars themed playground that DICE has faithfully built, Battlefront 2 has an unpleasant Anakin Skywalker vibe to it.

Strange Brigade is quite charming in its complete devotion to depict an overtly British adventure in supernatural Egypt of the 30s. For the 4-5 hours it lasted we had a satisfying co-op experience, filling like proper tomb raiders against hordes of skeletons, mummies and some welcoming boss fights. Unfortunately the lack of any significant feeling of progression and randomisation means that the replayability is almost non-existent.

In contrast to MXGP3, with MotoGP 17 Milestone created a complete racer with superb mechanics and a fantastic riding model that is as close to reality as a videogame can get.

It’s an intriguing mix of online FPS mayhem and MOBA characteristics that can lead to especially fun matches. As such, it’s a shame that polishing issues arise constantly while also the current content is lacking.

Brink is an unfinished online game that tries to play like every other modern First Person Shooter, but fails in almost every aspect. The maps (which are also used for the campaign) are terrible and the re-spawning system is ruining the flow. Texture pop-up, animation glitches and the worst bot A.I. will make you "log off" permanently from its online co-op action.

Frantics is a charming and diverse party game and an excellent showcase for PS4’s PlayLink technology.

The Chant is a survival horror that’s definitely worth checking from the aficionados of the genre. It may have its share of shortcomings, mainly a derivative albeit functional combat system, and a complete absence of environmental or other riddles that could spice up things. Nevertheless the demonic essence is there to built up tension and the monster design is surely memorable, something that’s certainly no small feat.

FromSoftware's first venture into the realm of virtual reality left us with mixed feelings. Deracine is by no means a bad game, but it fails to deliver anything more than a shell of an (almost Myst-like) adventure game that was made for the PSVR, backed by great atmosphere and an interesting story.

It treads in a fine line between spiritual successor and blatant rip-off of Banjo-Kazooie, featuring identical design choices with the Rare classics. Nevertheless, it contains a fulfilling amount of environmental riddles and challenging platforming that are hampered from the complete attachment to the past and a camera that quite simple could be considered as the most nefarious villain of the game.

This specific genre will continue to be missed even though the Director's Cut of Strike Suit Zero is a nice little game that can offer some hours of intense space combat gameplay.

Legends of Kingdom Rush retains the easy-going gameplay aspect of all of the Ironhide games, as well as the always pleasant cartoony aesthetic. Alas, the number of levels is way low, giving us the feeling that this was a side-project that didn’t receive the attention it deserved compared to the main Kingdom Rush series.

The newest iteration of the original Clock Tower offers some welcome improvements, such as a rewind feature and the ability to save at any time. However, it remains a game of its era, which will probably feel dated to newer gamers.

The Enhanced version of The Wizards is an absolute joy to play. It has a great movement system with zero locomotion, the gesture-based battle is fabulous and the overall art direction and graphics are superb. We had some major issues when the game was losing track of the Move Controllers, but besides that, this is one of the best ways to feel like a true spellcaster.

Inayah is a prime example of a game lost in an oversaturated genre. Charming visuals alone are no longer enough to stand out among the myriad of Metroidvanias. While it boasts stylish comic-inspired art and a passable combat system, Inayah ultimately offers little beyond the genre’s most basic staples, without making any real effort to create its own identity.

Gauntlet is a dungeon crawling/ hack 'n' slash game that revisits the 80’s Arcade all-time classic, offering immerse co-op fun and using distinctive gameplay mechanics for each of the four available classes/ characters.

With two immensely large islands to explore and dozens of cars to use, TDU lives up to its legacy. Too bad the graphics look so outdated.

The Ascent is an unapologetically familiar twin stick shooter, with a detailed cyberpunk world that feels alive and especially dystopian. Some mistakes in the way the map is implemented and a fast travel that is unreasonable limited could have been alleviated, but nevertheless the action is top-notch and cathartic.

An addictive puzzle game which will offer some enjoyable hours. On the downside, the time limit pressure and the fact that it's overpriced may influence your decision on buying it or not.

It may provide fast gameplay and charming visuals, but unfortunately the lack of depth and some notable frame rate issues make it difficult to recommend CounterSpy.

What starts as a fascinating tale of a psychological horror game, soon changes into a repetitive experience that feels like it drags on even in its short length of less than two hours.

If you have played and enjoyed the first case in this detective story by Suda51, then The 25th Ward can be a good choice for a few more hours of visual novel/ noir gameplay.

My Hero One’s Justice 2 proudly belongs to the category of sequels that do things better and push the series forward. With more content available compared to the original game, lots of characters, great visuals and an overall anime feel, My Hero One’s Justice 2 is a fun fighter that does things right for the most part.

Ad Infinitum presents a well written nightmarish story about both the WW1 atrocities and the trauma caused to children by a dysfunctional and harsh family environment. The caveat is that these two stories are as disjointed as they sound, regardless of the quality of the writing they have separately.

Shadow Labyrinth is an adequate Metroidvania with a good balance between platforming and combat as well as nice visuals. What drags it down is the obscure connection with Pac-Man, and certain gameplay elements that try to draw inspiration from that franchise. Classic as it may be, it just doesn’t work in an action game.

A warm, modern twist on a classical story from a game with surprisingly intelligent puzzles. Its short duration and the lack of direction prevent it from reaching “indie darling” status, but we can think only a few other adventure games so lovingly made over the last few years.

Most if its initial problems of technical nature are now addressed and Trine 3 truly shines. It may be the shortest Trine to date, but its probably the most beautiful one.

A delightful game that offers a fairytale style aesthetic, hours of roguelike dungeon crawling with plenty of replayabillity and a co-op mode that is superb albeit not available in the main campaign but only on the side quests.

Effie draws inspiration from action/platformers of the past, ands in that respect it is in a position to deliver some enjoyable afternoon sessions. But that's about it. The combat is rather boring, the story mediocre and it never tries to do something new.

The mentality behind the development of Serious Sam 4 is summed up in the saying of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. It adheres to this saying so much that it forgets that this logic could very well fall in the trap of “diminishing returns”. Unfortunately, that is the case with the fourth instalment that seems to be nothing less than a rehash of the previous instalments, just with the obligatory but a bit unsatisfactory revamp of the graphics engine.

Some 10 year old problems are still here proving that Lionhead didn't do its best during the port, but Fable -even after all those years- remains one unique fairytale of a game.

A game that combines Monopoly, Hotel (the board game) and characters from Nintendo and Square in a unique and obscure way. Although not bad, it can only be recommended to a specific and small audience.

Due to some poorly executed design decisions and an impossible camera, The Evil Within fails to recreate the magic of Mikami's earlier works. Still, it is a great survival-splatter game with intense moments and lots of unique ideas.

The return of Outcast unfortunately seems to be quite a bit stuck to the past. It's an open world experience akin to something Ubisoft would develop but without a similar big budget veil that could cover (to some extent) the repetitive quest structure and derivative gunplay.

A great Visual Novel that comes with a well written story and beautiful art direction.

The wonderful background art and the interesting main idea are to be commended, but whether these are enough to overcome some amateurish writing elements, poor animation and plainly bad voice acting, it will depend on how much of a hardcore "Cthulhu-ist"/ adventure gamer the player is.

White Paper Games had the courage to try new things in an era where everything looks like it’s repeating itself and everyone one another. Some development choices and many bugs though keep Occupation from being a great game.

Chris Jones and Aaron Conners bring back the legendary detective Tex Murphy and manage to make him feel as fresh as ever while respecting his legendary cult statue. Pixel hunting and low difficulty issues aside, Tesla Effect is an example on how sequels should be made.

It's full of a unique dark atmosphere and character, but its very short campaign will leave you wanting more.

A multiplayer game that deserves more attention. With well designed maps great gameplay and lots of weapons and abilities for the heroes, this is one of the most enjoyable games of the genre we've tried this year. Too bad the community is so small that it's getting too hard to find a game.

The very short "campaign" mode of this NFS is balanced by the wealth of extras and the enjoyable gameplay.

You could very well take any review of the previous Contracts game, paste it in the sequel and read a completely accurate description of Contracts 2. It’s hard to notice any improvement or differentiation of the formula between those two games, other than an understanding that you are taking part in different missions, albeit in a very familiar setting.

We had to wait many years for a decent motocross game and, finally, the wait is over.

This new addition to the excellent indie Turkish franchise constitutes the best and most complete choice for newcomers. Unfortunately, the veterans of the franchise won't find anything radical different that haven't already seen in previous installments.

An interesting premise with quite good artistic value that is hindered by its extremely high difficulty.

It’s definitely an improvement over the original Outlast. We are not especially fans of the methods by which it achieves the sense of terror, mainly by throwing you in one shocking situation after another, but nevertheless, we can’t deny that Red Barrels achieves its goals of creating an improved sequel and one of the scariest experiences out there.

If you are keen on board games, then this digital version of the Witcher board game is a great opportunity to learn about the world of this franchise and to enjoy some great multiplayer matches.

Be aware. MXGP is a well crafted Motocross game, but its difficulty curve and -sometimes extreme- realism are not meant for the inexperienced player.

Even though some of its major aspects, like the battle system and the tiresome grinding, are keeping it from being great, Conan Exiles is a promising and unique survival game that -with the proper attention from the developer- could soon become a must-have for enthusiasts of the genre.

Fairy Tail 2 is a highly derivative game that even fans of the anime will struggle to enjoy. The first signs of its lackluster quality appear in the mediocre character models, which are further compounded by a dull and uninspired combat system that lacks any real excitement.